


The Hitokiri and the Werewolf

by Blaizekit



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-11
Updated: 2006-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-30 23:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaizekit/pseuds/Blaizekit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter Xover. Book 5. Years after the young hitokiri's encounter with a werewolf, he becomes pulled into modern England, at none other than Hogwarts School. What is Dumbledore's plan for the rurouni?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hitokiri Meets Werewolf

**Author's Note:**

> This is an import, very old, and as one of my first fics it makes me cringe. But for some reason I can't fathom, it has more hits/reviews/favorites on ffnet than any of my other stories so far, so I'm posting it. I mean, I think it was a good idea, my writing was just less than good back in 2006.

" _In the glory days, even before the sengoku age of warlords, swordsmen were so powerful that we were feared as magicians- 'users of the whirlwind!' Shinko-ryu will revive such magicians, and bring the whirlwind back to Japan!…"_ –Isurugi Raijuta

**_Kyoto, Japan, 1864_ **

"Oi, Himura!"

The red-headed youth slowed to allow Iizuka to catch up to him.

"Blood..." Iizuka's eyes trailed to the side of Himura's face. Kenshin knew it- he could feel the warm coppery liquidseeping from the open wound, the sickly smell. This had happened many times before by now. Kenshin put his hand to his face and then looked at it, gaping with horror once more at the familiar red stripe he saw there.

"There is a tale..." Iizuka said. "That says that a wound created with extreme hatred will never heal, until vengance is accomplished. It is like a curse...I hear that sometimes it may never heal..."

"A wound feuled by hatred..." Kenshin murmured, closing his eyes.

"Aa. Well, seeing as how you're done for the night, I think I'll hit the bar. Ja ne!" he strode off, smirking to himself. Iizuka knew that as unreadable as the teen usually was, he could tell that he'd unnerved him, and that gave him no small amount of satisfaction.

Kenshin stared dully into the surface of the river in front of him, his hand held up to his searing cheek. Hatred...so many people hated him, and, of course, it was rightfully so. And now he had to deal with an eternal wound that would not heal. Not until vengance was taken. Just at that moment, the full weight of all the lives he had taken pullend on his sould and his eyes flickered with pain and regret. It would often come in waves like this, from nowhere, the overwhelming hatred feeling. Some much happier everyone would be if he just dropped dead. The revolution was half over anyway; and they had a replacement on hand just in case...and the dead could not avenge themselves...

In a dream-like trance, he had drawn the wakizashi from its sheath. He wore Death at his side every single day, the thing he wanted the most, he danced with it every night, and yet it always eluded him. But he was sick and tired of it. So what if he died knowing he'd failed to help the Ishin Shishi to victory...his soul was a damned one anyway.

"Forgive me, Katsura-san. I have broken my promise." And with that he lifted the gleaming, thirsty blade above his chest.

"Stop it."

Kenshin turned without hurry to see a gaijin man in odd clothes. His hair was greying and his face wore a soft expression.

"Trust me, what you're thinking about, I've considered myself many times." he said. "You begin to think that the only way to stop the river of blood is to destroy its source. Iknow how you feel."

Kenshin lowered the blade slightly. "Who are you?"

"Remus Lupin, at your service. I am a werewolf."

"I am no werewolf." Kenshin said, completely unfazed by what he assumed was a hallucination in the face of death.

"And yet, we both transform into something unpleasent under the eye of the Moon." Lupin said, gazing up at the half-filled white orb against the velvet sky. "Listen to me. I have been sent to tell you not to alter the course of history by dying here. You have a mission to accomplish, a mission that will affect people living hundreds of years from now, people who will live  _better_  because of your sacrifice. That, and...we have need of you, of your help. I will come before you later. Taking you now would be too dangerous for the state of the world. Just wait. Tough it out, and live. You'll understand before too long."

Kenshin blinked. The man had simply...vanished.

"Wait!" he called. "How did you- why me? Who..." his shoulders slumped in sagging defeat, and he put his sword away. He was so tired all of a sudden. "How can a murderer like me possibly be of help to anyone..."

**_London, England. Present day._ **

Harry Potter's eyes narrowed as he inched closer and closer toward the staircase, trying to discern the voices coming from below. He really wished that he had a pair of Extendable Ears, but he was afraid to take the time to run and get them, since it seemed as if he had caught the tail end of the conversation. What had caught his ear was not the sound of Sirius' irate voice (a fairly common occurance here, especially with Snape always stopping by) but the fact that it was Lupin he was arguing with. Lupin had a pretty slow fuse in any case- why would he be arguing with one of his oldest and closest friends?

"...So where is he now?"

"He's staying with Dumbledore. Sirius, I  _know_  you don't like the idea, but I assure you, he's older now and-"

"That makes no difference! I don't see why we need to call up somebody that has nothing to do with  _anything_ now...this time, this place, not even from the Order...not even a wizard! He's a muggle, Remus!"

"He will not be suspected by the enemy." Lupin said calmly.

"He's dangerous!"

"I told you...certain measures have been taken. Dumbledore has met with him, and Dumbledore knows what he's doing. He is not a threat to us."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. How dangerous dida muggle have to be to be a threat to wizards? Not to mention unnerve his dare-devilish godfather. His train of thought was interrupted as he heard Lupin mention his name.

"Listen, I know that you wanted more of a hand in helping to protect Harry, but you know the circumstances...and picking fights with people on your own side isn't going to help."

A heavy thud sounded, as if a very large book had been plopped onto the table.

"Look at this!" Sirius exclaimed. "How can you know this and still say he's not a threat?"

"That's not fair, Sirius. That's just like someone calling me dangerous just because of what turn into once a full moon."

Silence for a moment.

"That's not the same, and you know it." Sirius growled.

"Just meet with him, Sirius. I have spoken with him several times throughout his life, and I am confident that at this junction in his time of living, he is no threat. Imagine what Severus would say if he knew that you were afraid of a muggle almost half your age."

"I'm not afraid!" Sirius said, flaring up instantly.

"I know, I know." Lupin said with a laugh. "You really shouldn't let those kinds of taunts get to you. No...you're jealous because a complete stranger gets to experience dangers you feel banned from. And, naturally, you're worried about Harry. It's completely understandable. But you have to remember, it's only under this condition that I'll be allowed to-"

**KRRACK!**

Harry jumped. Fred and George had just Apperated behind him.

"Hey, Harry, what's up?"

"Shh!" he turned quickly back to the stairs, but Sirius and Lupin had moved off to another room, realizing they could be overheard. Harry sighed.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." Fred said. "You should've told us you were eavesdropping, we could've brought you some Extendables."

"No time." Harry said. His face was scrunched with concentration as he tried to make some sense of what he had just heard.

"Hear anything interesting?" George asked keenly. "Who were you listening in on?"

"Lupin and Siruis...they were having a row..."

_"Huh?"_

But Harry was already halfway down the stairs. He went into the kitchen and found what he was looking for- a thick book sitting on the table. It was closed, whereas it had probably been open before to whatever they had been looking at. The dusty cover had a title on it that read  _Sorcery Through the Ages_ ; it looked very much like a book you'd expect to see in a History of Magic class.

"What would a muggle have to do with anything in this book?" Harry murmured, turning through its pages.

"If you want to borrow that book, Harry, all you need to do is ask, you know." Hermione came in, followed by Ron.

"This book is yours?" Harry asked.

"Yes...I was reading it at the table earlier...what's going on?" she noticed Fred and George's identical annoyed expressions.

"Ask Harry." George said.

"Yeah. He says Lupin and Sirius had a row." Fred added.

"Really?" she looked at Harry. "What was it about? Something with the Order?"

"I'm not sure...they were talking about someone, and Sirius doesn't trust him...Lupin said he was staying with Dumbledore, and that Sirius would just have to meet him..."

"Well, if Dumbledore doesn't have a problem with this guy, then Sirius shouldn't either." Hermione said firmly.

"Well, I dunno...Lupin said Sirius was probably just acting that way because they were having outsiders do stuff for the Order while he was having to hid out here...but Sirius kept insisting that this guy was dangerous."

"Did you happen to get the name of this guy?" Hermione asked slowly.

"No...but Lupin said Snape would find it funny that Sirius was afraid of a muggle half his age."

Harry half expected Hermione to be able to come up with an answer for this puzzling thing, but she looked just as confused as them.

"But...how could that be a threat?" Ron said blankly. "Lupin is right- Sirius just hates being here and he wants to take it out on something."

"You never know, Ron..." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Maybe this muggle knows something that's important to the order that's dangerous, or maybe he's on our side but has shifty connections, like Dung."

"Mundungus and Sirius get along pretty well, though." Ron countered.

"A spy." Harry said suddenly. "Lupin said that the enemy wouldn't suspect a muggle."

"That's true..." Hermione said doubtfully. "But that doesn't follow with him being dangerous, if he was on our side. Besides, he'd be around our age, wouldn't he? How useful of a spy could he be?"

The boys just kind of shrugged.

"Well, if you three are done..." George said, no longer interested in the conversation. He and Fred dismissed themselves with a resounding  **KRACK**.

"...And he has something to do with this book, but I don't know what." Harry said. "Sirius showed it to Lupin trying to make his point."

"Well, that makes no sense." Hermione said. "There are no muggles in this book, and even if there were, they'd have been dead for a long time."

"Maybe it had something to do with what he knows." Ron said eagerly.

Hermione yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to go to bed. If it has anything to do with you, Harry, I expect we'll find out soon enough." She started up the stairs.

"Right." Harry muttered. "Just like I'm  _always_ the first person to know anything having to do with me."

Ron snorted, and the both of them followed Hermione up. They quickly forgot about this conversation in the whirl of things that had to be done, and each had their own things about the upcoming school year to worry about. Nothing overly eventful happened over the rest of the summer (cleaning, hearing Mrs. Weasly kick Dung out for the millionth time, Kreacher's nasty comments) and nothing out of the ordinary happened until they came to the place where strange things were most likely to happen (second only to Hogwarts, of course)- the steam train at platform 9 3/4.

* * *

Harry gloomily shoved his trunk along the aisle. Ron and Hermione were off in the prefect's carriage and he had to find a compartment for them. As was his usual luck, every compartment was full, and he was forced to trudge on, ignoring the stares he was getting. He came to the last compartment. The door was closed. Harry cursed, shifted his hold on the heavy trunk, and reached for the compartment door. At least he'd finally found a free one.

Or not. Harry slid the door open to reveal a red-haired boy with his long hair tied back, sitting alone. Harry froze, having never seen this person before. Maybe he was a first year. As Kenshin was short even by Japanese standarts, and very youthful looking, this idea wasn't too much of a strange one. The boy was gazing thoughtfully out of a window, and didn't seem to notice Harry standing there.

"Excuse me." Harry said politely. "Do you mind if me and my friends sit here? Everywhere else is full..."

The boy looked at him, and Harry's eyes widened as an evil-looking X shaped scar was thrown into view.

"It's no problem, de gozaru." the boy said cheerfully. "Where are your friends at?"

"They're prefects. They have to patrol for awhile, but they'll be here soon enough. It's only two others, so..." Harry sat down awkwardly in the seat across from the red head. "What's your name?"

"Kenshin Himura." he said. "What's yours?"

Harry stared in surprise. "I'm Harry Potter...don't you know?"  _The one everyone loves to talk about lately_ he added scathingly in his mind. The fact that he knew everyone thought he was insane still burned deeply from the summer when he discovered this fact.

Kenshin averted his gaze. "Aa. Sessha knew, but he didn't want to be rude." he of course knew very well how it felt for everybody to know your name.

Harry was, once again, somewhat surprised. People usually didn't care how rude they were being when they pointed, stared, and talked about him.

"Why are you talking like that?" Harry asked. "What does 'sessha' and 'de gozaru' mean?"

"Oro?"

"Er...and that."

"Um..." Kenshin grinned at him sheepishly. "Sessha is sessha. That is what he calls himself. This one's native language is Japanese. Therefore a Translating Charm has to be used, but it wears off after awhile and is defective sometimes."

"And, of course, your own odd quirks to the language don't help at all." a dryly amused voice sounded from the corridor.

 _"Lupin!"_  Harry stood up quickly. "What are you doin here? I thought you-"

"Whoa, whoa now, calm down, Harry." Lupin said with a laugh. "I was going to let my return be a surprise for the feast, but, alas, your friends have pinned me."

"We got him, Harry." Ron said. "He's going to be teaching again this year!"

 _"What?"_ this was the best news he'd heard all summer.

"Lupin, how did you-"

" _Professor_ Lupin, Harry." Lupin said. "And how did I convince anybody worth convincing to let me come back?"

He nodded mutely.

"Well, extra measures have been taken to ensure that what happened before doesn't happen again. I will also be continuing to take the Wolfsbane Potion. Plus, Dumbledore wants as many members of the Order as possible to be at Hogwarts, and my particular mission can be accomplished fairly well while here."

"And your mission is...?"

"Oh come on, Harry, like he's going to tell you now when he wouldn't tell you all summer." Hermione said, pushing past the two males and edging into the compartment. "Honestly- who is that?"

"My name is Kenshin Himura." Kenshin said pleasently. "Nice to meet you. Sessha does think, however, that his prescence can be better explained by Professor Lupin, here."

"Huh?" Ron said, expressing the general sentiment as he came in himself.

"Kenshin is here as my visitor." Lupin explained. "As a favor to Dumbledore. He has traveled a long way to visit Hogwarts. I believe that he will be rooming with the Gryffandor seventh years. Most of those are studying at the N.E.W.T level, and so there is always room there from the sixth years who do not move on." he smiled.

The other three were silent. There had been foriegn wizards at Hogwarts before, namely last year at the Triwizard Tournament, but this time it just seemed like one, alone.

"How come? Is he thinking about transferring here?" Hermione said curiously.

"We'll see." Lupin said with a smile. "Well, I have to go back up front...I'll be missed..." he gave a strained smile and left.

"Missed." Harry snorted angrily. "They want to keep him under constant watch, more like."

A small bit of gloom settled on them all as reality came swirling back.

"So." Hermione said in a friendly voice to Kenshin, obviously trying to dispell the mood with conversation. "What year are you in at your school?"

Kenshin blinked at suddenly being addressed; he'd been daydreaming out the window.

"Um..." he said, a bit nervously under the scrutiny. "I wasn't at a school in Japan. I don't really know that much about wizards at all, but I've been staying at Hogwarts for a little while. Professor Dumbledore has helped me out."

"Oh. Are you muggle-born?" Herminoe said kindly, obviously thinking, like Harry had, that Kenshin was a first year. Kenshin gave a faint smile.

"I don't know, really...I didn't know my parents. They died of disease when I was very young."

"Oh...s-sorry." Hermione said awkwardly. She elbowed Ron, who was staring.

"It's no problem." Kenshin said with a smile. "Sessha got over it long ago. I think your school is very wonderful. I've enjoyed my stay." there was a sparkle in his warm violet eyes that hadn't been there before, that spoke complete honesty in his words. Kenshin turned back to the window as the others started conversing amonst themselves. In truth, he  _was_ happy. He had seen the world that Lupin had told him would exist...and now he realized how grateful he was that he had not killed himself after all. As for magic...well...that part still baffled him, but he was getting used to it after spending a month at Hogwarts. The place reeked of magic, even without any students there. He was already good friends with Dumbledore, Hagrid, and most of the ghosts. It was almost a relief to know that there were beings there that remembered a time older than his. However, Dumbledore still hadn't told him  _why_  he'd been blessedwith such a gift of seeing the reletive utopia this future world was, or why he had been drawn in and exposed to the everpresent but seperate world of magic. He could not see why he of all people was needed here. Now that the students were here, though, he wasn't far off from having to do whatever it was he was here for, surely. He had ridden the train in order to meet Harry Potter. Covertly, he examined the boy with a curious air. From what he had heard, they actually had some significant things in common. Dumbledore had told him everything about the boy's situation, as well as a few things Kenshin suspected the boy didn't even know himself. Kenshin was confident that whatever he was doing here, Harry Potter had something to do with it.


	2. A Mystery, or Two

Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the flood of students unloading from the train at the Hogsmeade station.

"Quit pushing, Ron, you're going to hurt somebody." Hermione scolded as Ron nearly trampled a group of terrified first-years.

"I'm going to die if I don't get some food!" he moaned.

"The feast doesn't start until after everyone gets there and the first-years are Sorted, anyway!" Hermione snarled. "You're a prefect, Ron..."

"So? Prefects get hungry too..."

Harry ignored their usual banter. He was mostly concerned with the loss of their foreign companion.

"Hey guys...where did Kenshin go?"

"Huh?" Ron said, looking around. "I dunno...probably to meet Lupin. Dumbledore invited them both, right? And he seems to know Lupin pretty well. What's the matter?" he said as Harry suddenly stopped walking, the color draining steadily from his face. He had just spotted a tall, black cloaked figure standing a little ways on the platform. And another. The tell-tale feeling of intense cold was drawing over him. What was happening? Why were they here?

"Dementors..." he breathed, all too keenly aware of his last encounter with the cloaked fiends. The encounter that had nearly gotton him expelled. The last time dementors had been around the school, however, was when Sirius had been there...but the creatures were now under different control, and their appearance here could mean nothing but good. The dementors turned and stopped, almost as if they had been seeking and had spotted him. The whole platform was suddenly draped in eerie silence, even Hermione's gasp was drowned in the viscious cold...  
Half-blinded, Harry swam through the distressed crowd, reaching frantically for his wand. As he grasped it, a bolt of of comforting warmth seemed to shoot into his arm. As the dementors approached, rattling menecingly, Harry was quickly sapped of strength, he could hardly breathe. He raised his now heavy wand and...

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Dazzling light burst forth from the end of his wand. The luminous stag chased the evil creatures down. The dementors instantly fled, gliding toward the uninhabited parts of town. Harry sank down to his knees, panting heavily, cold sweat clinging to his brow. He shook his head, trying to clear out the lingering renmants of the cold sickness that dementors always left in their wake.

Most of the students had cleared out by now, themselves moving as quickly as they could to get out of the area.

"Harry! Harry, are you okay?" Hermione and Ron came running up to him.

"What- are they- doing here?" he panted.

"It was part of the agreement." a bitter voice behind them sounded. It was Lupin. "The only way to convince the Ministry to agree for me to be here was to place dementors around the school again."

"What?" Harry said, some of his strength returning in rage. "Right after I told them that the dementorsaren't on our side and not undertheir control-"

"I know, Harry, I know, but you know how they are." Lupin said just as angrily, helping Harry up. "Personally, I think that they chose that particular mode of security because of you, even more than myself."

"So now they're trying to exploit Harry's weaknesses?" Hermione said grimly.

"Well, don't worry about it for now." Lupin said. "Come along, the feast should make you feel better...the last thing we need now is to be late...something I'm sure Severus would agree with."

The mention of Snape did nothing to improve Harry's mood.

"Hey guys...look..." Ron said suddenly in a small, almost apprehensive voice. The platform was now empty, except for a small figure huddled up against a column. Blood-red hair was visable among the black robes.

"Kenshin?" Hermione called. "Are you okay?"

They came closer. Kenshin's face was deathly pale, contrasting sharply with the black of his robes and the red of his hair. His breathing was low and shallow, and his eyes were closed. Hermione gave a small cryas she saw that his scar, which had seemed quite sealed up before, was bleeding all the way down into the neck of his robes. His body was shivering.

"What's wrong with him?" Harry said in horrified facination.

"Oh god...the dementors...I'd forgotton...bloody hell..." Lupin muttered. "Himura!" he shook his shoulder. "Himura, come on."

"Iie..." Kenshin breathed. "Iie...doushite? Doushite?"

The other three watched tensely as Lupin murmured something in Japanese to Kenshin, tapping the sides of Kenshin's face, ignoring the blood. Kenshin's eyes suddenly snapped open and he looked around at them wildly, reaching into his robes.

"Himura!" Lupin said again, louder this time, grabbing his arm. They stared at each other for a moment. Kenshin shook his head just as Harry had just a moment ago and slowly stood up. He seemed to have calmed down and realized where he was at.

"Sumimasen." he said with a bow, sounding a bit embarassed.

"It seems that the Translating Charm has worn off." Lupin said with a sigh. "Just wonderful."

Kenshin instantly understood what had happened now that his wits were together- he'd met the dememtors at Hogwarts more than once before, and he could of course tell that the charm had worn off by the fact that he couldn't understand Lupin saying so.

"Kite, Himura-san." Lupin said, beckoning, and Kenshin nodded. His face wasn't bleeding anymore and he wiped it absently with the sleeve of his robes. Underneath his scar looked the very same as before.

"We'll have to go to Professor Flitwick or Dumbledore to reset the charm- I don't know how..."

"Since when do you know Japanese, Professor?" Ron said, shooting sidelong glances of concern at Kenshin along with the others.

"Ah." Lupin said. "I've been learning for a little while. My knowlege is hardly complete, however. Here we are." He stopped in front of the Hall doors, turning to them. "Here, take this...I daresay you'll need as much fortitude as you can get..." he handed them all pieces of chocolate, giving Harry and Kenshin particularly large chunks.

"How come people don't always use the charm?" Harry asked as he took his piece. "Like those wizards at the World Cup last year?"

"It is a very complex charm, and it is also short-lasting and often very tempermental if not done correctly." Hermione spoke up, her eyes darting around worriedly. "We should hurry..."

They went inside, mercifully being able to avoid anyone that would cause them trouble, and headed straight for the hospital wing. Kenshin was walking along slowly, barely conscious, and they weren't entirely sure that he was completely snapped out of the dementor's illusion. Harry kept glancing back at him. How horrible did an experience have to be, he wondered, to make someone react that badly?

"Dementors." Madam Pomfrey said dissaprovingly, clicking her tongue. "Poor Himura...this is the third time he's been dragged up here because of those things...soon enough, I expect, he won't even want to step foot outside of the castle- Dumbledore still won't let them in." she added with satisfaction. She had given Kenshin a soothing potion that would give him a dreamless sleep, and he was currently unconscious on one of the beds.  
"And he was supposed to visit some classes tomorrow." Madam Pomfrey fretted, wringing her hands. "Can you three help him, make sure he doesn't get lost?"

They nodded. Lupin, however, chuckled.

"Don't underestimate him. I expect he already knows the way quite well by now."

"After just a month?" Harry said incrediously. Four years at Hogwarts had not yet taught him all of the castle's secrets- and he possessed the Marauder's Map! What's more, he wasn't entirely sure that Lupin wasn't overestimating Kenshin. Harry had already sort of lumped him into the same category as Neville.

"He's spent most of his time exploring the castle, and with a photographic memory and a knack for mental mapping, I'd say he probably knows it pretty well. It's instictive of him to be aware of his surroundings at all times." Lupin gave Harry a warning look, as him mouth had been open to ask anotherquestion, and stood. "Well, I'd better get out there and explain why the three most elusive students are missing already...cheers..." he sighed and left.

"You three must not stay much longer either." Madam Pomfrey said. "You can visit a little more, but you need to head toward your dormatories by the time the feast is over." and with that she retreated back to her own office.

"The feast." Ron groaned. His stomack gave a loud growl.

"Can it, Ron." Hermione turned to Harry. "What are you thinking?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you mean." he said shiftily.

"Yes you do. You have that 'conspiracy theory' look all over your face." she accused. "You can't possibly make somehting suspiscious out of-"

"No, that's not it." Harry said quietly. "I just wish I knew why the dementors affect him so much...what did he see?"

"I doubt very much that he wants to tell you." Hermione said firmly.

What is worse than...seeing someone killed in front of you? Harry wondered.

"He has a funny scar." Ron said, speaking the thing they'd all been thinking but wouldn't venture to say.

"So...what are you saying?" Hermione said uneasily.

"I think that it's a magical wound." Harry said. "Look at it, it's too perfect to be natural. What are the chances that somebody could get two scars that cross each other perfectly like that? Hagrid told me that you get a mark when an evil curse touches you...he never said there was only one evil curse that could do that."

"Well...I suppose it's possible..." Hermione said hesitantly.

"Plus, he's definetly got something to do with the Order." Harry said, staring at Kenshin's placidly sleeping face.

"How do you figure that one?" Ron asked, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Back on the train. Lupin mentioned the Order and his mission right in front of him! Plus, it seemed like Lupin had known him for awhile."

"Do you think he could be who Sirius and Lupin were talking about this summer?" Ron suggested.

"Come off it." Hermione scoffed. "For one, Kenshin's not a muggle- and even if he was, sure, there might be a muggle involved with the Order as a spy, but theyi wouldn't put him here in a magic school! If they had a spy they'd chuck him into Slytherin, where he might actually get some information. And it would be a very poor choice to pick a spy that needs to spend a night in the hospital wing because of two dementors." she crossed her arms, her case rested.

"Well-"

"I think Hermione's right, Ron." Harry said. "I don't think he's who they were talking about...I don't think that Sirius would find him very dangerous anyway...but he might possibly be in the Order, and is just one of the people that Dumbledore wants to keep here."

"Well, if you put it that way, it would make sense, with him rooming in Gryffandor and all. But he's too young to actually be in the Order." Hermione pointed out.

"If he is, it's not fair since we're not allowed too." Ron growled. "They won't even let Fred and George in, and they're of age."

"Then we should just ask Lupin later." Hermione said reasonably. "It's just as likely that Kenshin just had no idea what Lupin was talking about, and Lupin knows he won't go blabbing about it."

"Possibly...I guess that could be true..." Harry said a little reluctantly. The Order had never been known to be that lax about security before (if, for no other reason, Moody's paranoia called for it) but, for the moment, he was willing to give it a rest. His growling tummy reminded him sorely of the missed feast, and his eyelids felt a bit heavier than usual- they all needed sleep.

"The hospital wing is closed now! Shoo, all of you, unless you all want a knock on the skull enough to keep you here!" Madam Pomfrey came bustling in, ushering them out the door.


	3. Lord Battousai

The Great Hall rumbled with the sleepy murmers of hundreds of students at breakfast. There was more movement than usual in the hall as students greeted one another and compaired schedules.

"We have Potions with the Slytherins, as usual." Ron siad gloomily, piling up on toast. "At least we can drop it after this year."

"Where are the owls?" Hermione said, practically bouncing around in her seat straining to look. "They are usually here by now..."

"A little early in the year for mail, don't you think?" Harry said. "There probably isn't anything new to hear about..."

"Oh no, it's just- oh, hey Kenshin!" Hermione aid brightly. Kenshin inclined his head in a small bow.

"Good morning. It's hard to believe how many students are here, de gozaru!" he sat down across from them. "The Great Hall is much livelier with people here."

Today Kenshin was dressed in full Gryffandor attire; and the black, gold, and scarlet garments clashed splendidly with his hair. As he sat down a few nearby girls giggled and whispered amongst themselves.

"So, what classes are you supposed to visit today?" Ron asked. "Anything good?"

"Actually, I'm supposed to go to Dumbledore's office first." Kenshin said. "There are probably a few more things that need to be worked out. After that, though, I think I'm to go to Professor Lupin's class."

"We have that today too!" Hermione said excitedly. "Maybe we'll have it at the same time."

Just then the owls arrived. Three owls approached their end of the Gryffandor table. One was a package for Neville with all the things that he had forgotton to pack, one brought a newspaper for Hermione, and the last was a puffy, jet-black owl that bore no mail, but swooped low and landed on Kenshin's shoulder. Kenshin smiled and stroked its feathers. The owl cooed.

"I didn't know you had an owl, Kenshin." Harry said.

"I only recently got him." Kenshin said. "I was helping Hagrid with a lot of the work around the school, so Dumbledore insisted on paying me somehow. I liked the school's owls, so I got one for myself. His name is Kage."

"Whoo, whoo." Kage agreed, staring them all down with his yellow-green eyes and bobbing his head as if nodding. He spread his wings and flew off after the other departing owls.

"So, you're adjusting well to the wizarding world?" Hermione said happily.

"Yes, it's very facinating." Kenshin said. "I wish a little that I had been able to come here earlier."

"Is there even a magical school in Japan?" she asked.

"I don't know." Kenshin said thoughtfully.

"I thought that you'd know something like that, Hermione." Ron said slyly. She ignored him.

"Listen Kenshin, about yesterday-"

"I am sorry to have worried you." he said instantly, bowing his head. "And you missed the feast. I hope that I did not get you into trouble."

"No, Lupin sorted it out, and people here are used to it by now anyway." Harry said. "Listen, I really have to ask you-"

"Sorry Harry, but I must be going. I really can't miss my appointment with Dumbledore. Later, okay?" he stood up and strode away. He had tucked his arms inside of his cloak so that the sleeves drifted out behind him.

"Good job, Harry." Hermione said. "Very subtle."

"I thought...I didn't expect him to just brush me off like that."

"Well yeah, he's a nice guy, but he probably doesn't want to talk about it!" Hermione insisted. "You never liked people harassing you about  _your_  scar, right?"

"I know..." Harry said reluctantly. "It's just...wouldn't you want to know too? I mean, my whole life I've never seen anyone with an odd mark on their face, that I'm the only one to survive  _Avada Ked-"_

"Yes, but like you said, there are other curses that could cause it, and his mark's different from yours anyway."

"Then what else could it be?" Ron asked. "Not any of the Unforgivable Curses, because we would have known."

"Yes, seeing as how I'm the one person who has had all three put on me and live." Harry agreed dryly.

"So then, what could be worse than those?" Ron finished.

"I...don't know..."

"You're on a roll, Hermione. I think some of our idiocity is rubbing off on you." Ron snickered.

Hermione pursed her lips together and stood.

"I've got to get ready for class." She said shortly, and left.

* * *

"You wished to see me, sir?"

"Indeed." Dumbledore said. They were in Dumbledore's office. Fawkes had greeted Kenshin with a musical chirp, but Kenshin remained standing at the door. He was a little bit nervous at being called at such short notice, especially after the fiasco the day before.

"Himura-san." Dumbledore started. He always spoke in Japanese to Kenshin. "I have called you here for something concerning the Order. Have you enjoyed your stay here, so far?"

"Very much so, sir." Kenshin said quietly. "Though, sessha still wonders if he will soon learn why he was given such a privlege, de gozaru."

"Ah." Dumbledore said. "Right to the point, then." he paused, seeming to get his thoughts in order. All of the portraits on the wall were straining to make some sense of what was plain gibberish to their ears.

"You know that Order is dedicated to apprehending the dangerous Dark wizard, Voldemort, and his followers." he started.

Kenshin nodded.

"You have been allowed into the Order and stationed here under the supervision of Remus Lupin, Minevera McGonagall, Severus Snape, and myself. Because of your appearance you are able to blend in with the students, and because of your skill you can hide and obtain information more effectively than any wizard with an Invisibility Cloak."

"So, it is a spy you want from me?"

"Not only that. I trust you have met Harry Potter? You have to help us keep him from harm. Established in his House, it's a measure of security the enemy will not be able to see. It would be an honor for you to take an integral part in the Order."

"Sessha understands how he could be helpful, and this cause is indeed a worthy one." Kenshin said. "But, as always, there will be a continuous disagreement between us if you are suggesting a reward for skills learned through murder."

Dumbledore nodded, but Kenshin kept speaking. "Why sessha anyway, out of people...out of all time? When he's merely a muggle?"

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment, then stood up. He walked over to a bookshelf and pulled out a thick, faceless book. Kenshin watched mutely as Dumbledore sat back down at his desk and started flipping through pages. He stopped at a point, then looked up at Kenshin very seriously.

"Before Voldemort," he said softly, "there was but one person who was able to strike fear with a mere name. His name was even more potent than Voldemort's, for it was feared among magic and muggle alike. He was known as Hitokiri Battousai." He offered the book to Kenshin. He stepped foward and took it, but still did not say a word.

"Himura-san. You do not know this, but during your time there was a band of Dark wizards who wanted to control the world so as to kill as many muggles as possible, extremists who wanted to purify the Wizarding race. They targeted the fragile, unstable places first, festering old conflicts. There was an American civil war about the same time as your own Bakumatsu. The Shogunate was littered with Dark wizards provoking anger in the lower classes. Nobody could stop them, it seemed, except for the Hitokiri Battousai. The demon that was bathed in blood toppled their efforts with ease. In the process he gained his scar, as well as a reputation that would never go away. There were whispers, rumors in the magical world, that you yourself were a powerful Dark Lord."

Kenshin dropped the book as if it was an angry, hissing snake. "I'm not even a  _wizard_ , though." he said, a note of near panic in his voice. "How can they compare me to-"

"But, can't you see how they thought so? Can you see now why it is  _you_ that has been brought here?"

"No." Kenshin said stubbornly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Himura-san...is it enough, for now, to understand your usefulness? Will you agree to stay on and help, at least, without needing a reason?"

Kenshin's eyes grew dark. He could remember selling his soul just like this, once before. Dumbledore interpreted his silence correctly.

"There will be no need for you to kill." he said gently. "This is a modern world. We are  _always_  encouraged not to kill unless absolubtley necessary."

Kenshin relaxed slightly, and finally nodded.

"That is good. Now, there is something else I need for you to do as well..."

* * *

"Now then." Professor Lupn said, pacing about with his wand in hand. "Due to recent events, the Ministry of Magic has been careful to take a bigger hand in your education. They have set strict new policies that have made it nearly impossible for me to come back here. Yet, here I am, and I'm sure most of you are wondering why."

The class broke into mutters, some excited, some less so.

"Well, firstly," he gave them all a warm smile, "I'm sure you've noticed the prescence of dementors around the school. In the event that I attack any of you, they will be allowed to consume my soul." his cheerful tone betrayed this grim statement. "In addition, to ensure that you will have as regular of classes as possible, for the days when I am unable to teach I will be training a live-in substitute that will also assist me on regular days. This will allow the sub to get to know you all, and be able to carry on regular class when I cannot. I have also heard that he will be a substitute for the other teachers as well. Professor Grubby-Plank can'tdoit all, you give a warm welcome to- well, come on out, boy, these students won't bite..."

Harry was just in the middle of boredly scratching the top of his desk with his quill when he recieved a huge shock. Now standing in front of the classroom, looking very pink in the face, was Kenshin.

"This is Professor Himura." Lupin said pleasently, ignoring the tirade of whispers from the class. "Some of you may have met him before."

"Is this a joke?"

"He's a student!"

"He looks like a first year! What is he supposed to teach  _us?_ "

"Silencio!"

The class gaped soundlessly. Professor Lupin had used a Silencing Charm on them.

"Now then." he said calmly. "Professor Himura, now that the class is attentive, you may introduce yourself."

Kenshin's eyes widened. He had not anticipated any of this.

"P-Professor Lupin, I-"

"Oh, of course, I'll go sit down. You need their undivided attention. I quite understand." Lupin sat down at his desk and gave Kenshin an innocently expectant smile, but a laughing expression was in his eyes nevertheless.

"Um..." Kenshin said, facing the class. "My name is Kenshin Himura, and I am here at Dumbledore's request." he paused. "As Professor Lupin said, there is a greater watch over education by the Ministry this year, so I am here to ensure that class continues as smoothly as possible for all the teachers. Um, also as he said, I am living on the premises to interact better with the students and the subjects I may have to teach at any time. Hermione?"

Hermione lowered her hand. "Kenshin- I mean- Sir, if you really are supposed to be a teacher, then why are you rooming with the Gryffandor seventh years? You're even wearing a Gryffandor uniform..."

Kenshin winced. "Ah, yes, I know. I am not an official teacher, so I will be living the life of a student for the most part. I am merely supposed to assist any of the staff that need me- from Professor Lupin to Mr. Filch."

"How are you good enough to teach if you're not even out of school?" someone called out.

Kenshin looked hurt. "I am  _not_ a first year like everybody keeps saying- I'm not any year! Sessha is twenty."

 _"Twenty?"_ the muttering started again.

"And the fact that he's in Gryffandor..." Lupin stood once again. "Will not mean that there will be any favoritism in his classes. It's merely that," he gave an exasperated sigh, "Professor McGonagall was the one who placed him, and she believed that the Gryffandor uniform fancied him the best." he motioned for Kenshin to sit at the desk, and he did so gladly, turning red from a spurt of girlish giggles that had resounded at Lupin's comments. He know that Lupin couldn't tell them the  _real_ reason why he was placed in Gryffandor- but surely he could have come up with a better, less embarassing explination!

"Now then." Lupin said, pacing about in front like a restless wolf. "As I was saying, the Ministry is very interested in your education this year,  _particularly_  in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Due to recent circumstances, there are strict new rules in place that state that I cannot teach you defensive magic."

"What?" Harry said, outraged. "What is this class even for, then? What're they playing at?"

There was a general murmur of agreement and confustion.

"We are to study defensive theory." Lupin said, no small amount of scorn creeping into his voice. "The feeling is that that in itself should be good enough, unless you plan on being in danger anytime this term." he shot a warning look at Harry to keep him silent. "However, it is Dumbledore's philosophy that every good wizard should be a well-rounded individual- and to always be prepared for anything." He walked over to where Hermione was sitting and held up her book. "So on the days that a Ministry official comes to review the class, you will be taught  _this_  waffle. The rest of the time, we will follow the syllabus that Dumbledore has provided for us."

A grin was growing on nearly every face.

* * *

"Are you sure that tricking the Ministry is such a good idea, Professor?" Hermione said anxiously as most of the class filtered out the door. "I mean, you could get in a lot of trouble. What if they sacked you?"

"Well, they'd have a rather hard time doing that." Lupin said, a hint of a laugh in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked suspisciously.

"Well, you know how it's always been that no teacher can keeep this job for more than a year?"

"Yeah, I've kinda been wondering about that." Harry said. "Isn't the job cursed?"

"Actually, it is." Lupin raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not the registred teacher for this class. Kenshin is."

_"Kenshin?"_

"He just has to teach sometimes, and be evaluated ever so often." Lupin said cheerfully. "And since he doesn'tknow any magic anyway, it's just as well for him to teach on the review days, since he'll just have to read from the book."

Hermione didn't seem to know whether to congradulate or scold him.

"I can't believe you found such a big loophole." was all she said.

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." Lupin said. "Now hurry along, you three, or you'll be late for your next class."

And so they left, turning back to close the door behind them only to see Kenshin, looking somewhat sheepishly in their direction.


	4. Snape

Kenshin, it seemed, was not only popular with the students (most notably the female ones) but with the teachers as well. The usually severe Professor McGonagall said that he was 'a fine, upstanding young man', and even Filch seemed to like him, in his own creeping way. The strangest reaction to him, though, came from Snape. Any timeKenshin happened to be around, Snape simply ignoredhim and talked only to whoeverelse was nearby. Harry had felt sure that he wouldhave some kind of comment about a tiny foriegnerthat knew little, if any, magic- an underqualified youngster teaching the subject that he so longed to teach. If, by chance, they were forced into actual conversation, Snape would pointedly avoid his eye and speak the bare minimum necessary. Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed to be the only ones to notice it- as much as they (or Harry, rather) kept an eye on Snape- but they couldn't guess what it meant.

Kenshin, however, knew now exactly why. As Snape was from the Order, he knew exactly who Kenshin was. Simply put, Snape was a little bit apprehensive toward him. He knew enough about the Dark Arts, and he had come across the name Hitokiri Battousai enough times in his study, that he wasn't entirely sure that the youth wasn't what the tales said he was. The one chilling, galling fact of it all was very simply that, as horrible as Voldemort was, Battousai had killed more people and terrified more people in his 5 year reign than Voldemort had in over 50 years of living. He had crushed the efforts of a powerful band of Dark wizards- and hadn't even known it. If it wasn't for the lucky coincidence that he had been recruited for the Ishin Shishi, the world could even now be controlled by Dark forces.

Kenshin knew that that's how Snape felt, but he wasn't too bothered by it. It was only one person, as opposed to EVERYONE, in his time, and besides, he could see veryclearly how Snape usually treated people, and all things considered, it was an improvement.

And it was Kenshin's growing popularity, counterpoint to the downward spiral into a bottomless pit that was Harry's reputation, that created an interesting situation one weekend. Harry was heading to the Gryffandor common room alone (having had to rush back to get an essay he'd accidently left in the library) and his stomach dropped down to the floor as he spotted a clump of second year girls walking in the opposite direction. He would have gladly ducked into some hidden passageway to avoid them, but they'd already spotted him. They stared, drew closer to each other, and froze against the wall as if hoping he'd leave them alone if they stayed still. Harry wanted to yell at the idiots, or vanish on the spot- he wasn't sure which he wanted more.

"Harry? Oh, excellant! Could you please tell me where to find the Owlrey? There's a letter I want to send." A voice behind him said. It was Kenshin, looking apolegetically puzzled.

Harry stared. "But don't you know where the-"

"I'll help you, Professor." one of the second year girls said, stepping foward and apparently forgetting about Harry altogether. The other girls tittered excitedly.

Kenshin smiled at her blandly. "Perhaps you could, but I do not believe I was talking to you." he looked around at the rest of them. "De gozaru." he added sternly. He turned around and steered Harry in the opposite direction.

"There's no need to try to help me, Kenshin." Harry said with more harshness than he intended. Kenshin was unfazed.

"Harry, for hundreds upon hundreds of years Japan has been a nation of conformity- not unlike Hogwarts Castle. For example, the color of my hair may not seem strange to you, but I was always shunned for it in my youth- being called the child of foriegners or demons and even worse things. There were some people who even thought that I drank blood for it to turn that way."

"In your youth? You're not really that old now, you know."

"True enough." Kenshin said sheepishly. "I forget that sometimes, I suppose. At any rate, Harry, I know how it feels to wear a scar that you feel like the whole world knows about."

"But the whole world DOES know about mine. All of the Wizarding world, anyway..."

Kenshin gave a light smile. "I bet that it is a bit strange to go from fame to infamy back and forth so often." he said. "I can't imagine."

"Kenshin-" Harry said falteringly. "If you don't mind me asking- I mean, I just want to know- how did you get that scar? Was it from a curse?"

"A curse?" Kenshin frowned. Harry noticed how his face grew dark. "In a sense, maybe."

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a specific answer, but Harry was relieved that he hadn't avoided the question or gotton mad. And so (in classic Harry style) he decided to press his luck.

"So...what is it that you have to do for the Order?" he said quietly as they turned into a dark corridor lined with huge tapestries. "We figured you must have something to do with it, because Lupin wouldn't have been careless enough to say something about it in front of you if you weren't supposed to know."

"You know, I was warned about you three." Kenshin said. Harry couldn't tell if his tone was amused or dissaproving. "You really ought not to say things like that in the open. It could get more than just yourself in trouble." he paused in his walking. "Something I'm sure you would agree with, ne, Snape-san?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. Kenshin had turned to speak over his shoulder, and there stood Snape, looking horribly pale in the dim corridor. Snape was so able to appear silently anywhere that many students suspected that he could even turn into a bat. Had Kenshin known that he was there the whole time?

Of course, even Snape knew you couldn't sneak up on the former hitokiri. It just didn't work. His lip curled in obvious dislike.

"You are lucky that Himura IS in the Order, Potter." he said bitterly. "Imagine what could be done with that information in the wrong hands. You would'nt have only revealed the existance of the Order, but Lupin's part in it as well, and that would have directly led to Dumbledore, who appointed him. Trouble? There would be more than trouble."

"Are you stalking me now or something?" Harry said angrily.

"Harry!" Kenshin said sharply. He bowed to Snape. "Excuse us, Snape-san, but we really must be getting back to the dormitory before curfew. Sessha will handle this." he quickly steered Harry away again before Snape could say another word.

"What is his problem?" Harry muttered. "It's bad enough I have classes with him...I'll be glad when I can drop the class."

"Yes, but he's also a teacher, that can give you detention." Kenshin reminded. Harry ignored him.

"...and I really hope that they haven't got him to watch me, or something. I mean, that's just-"

"He probably followed when he saw you with me." Kenshin said.

Harry stopped. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Professor Snape...does not trust me." Kenshin said softly. "He thinks, and he's not the only one, that an outsider should not be so closely involved with the Order. To know its secrets. He does not trust me at all. He was only ensuring that you were not in any danger." it pained him somewhat to speak the truth.

"Danger?" Harry said incrediously. "Just because you're an outsider?"

"Mostly." Kenshin said. "We're here."

"Password, please." the Fat Lady said.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Harry said impatiently. "But Kenshin, doesn't everybody know that if Dumbledore-"

"Kenshin? Oh! Hi Kenshin!" The Fat Lady said, her voice becoming high and giggly as she turned the color of her silk pink dress. "I must have been sleeping, why, I hadn't even noticed that you left!"

"Um, well..." Kenshin said with an uncomfortable laugh. "It was only a short moment ago, I was mailing a letter."

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Harry repeated. The Fat Lady gave him a glare and swung open to reveal the portrait hole. Most of the Gryffandor students were in there, including Ron and Hermione. They seemed to be in an argument.

"...have a responsibility to keep them from doing that! It could be dangerous, not to mention it's definetly against the rules! I don't care if they're your brothers, Ron, you know that it-"

"Now, now, don't blame poor Ronnie." George taunted.

"I blame you!" Hermione rounded on him. "And if you don't stop it, you'll get a detention!" she suddenly spotted those that had just walked in. "Harry- Kenshin! Good! You can put a stop to this! Fred and George have continued ith their wierd experiments after I have expressively warned them to stop. They don't care!"

"Uh...uh..." Kenshin had been completely unprepared to be dragged into this verbal war, and, having never experienced anything of the sort, had no idea what to do. "H-hermione-san, sessha-"

"Come on, Kenshin, my man." George said. "Surely you can see that there is no harm in good clean fun and a little extra pocket money for all? No, no harm in it at all. And no need to alert the powers-that-be either, right?"

"W-well..." Kenshin glanced around. "I...guess if you are not going to be blowing up anything or doing anything similarly destructive, de gozaru..." his speech always seemed to become more punctured with Japanese when he was under pressure.

Hermione frowned deeply, snatched up Crookshanks (that had been purring hopefully at Kenshin's feet) and stormed out.

"Hm. I didn't expect that to go so well." Fred commented.

"It's kind of strange." George agreed. "Up until now we haven't been able to classify you, Kenshin. Teacher? Student? Niether? Or both? Friend, or foe?"

"But Kenshin, you're alright." Fred said with a smile.

"Ano...thanks." he replied uncertainly.


	5. At Grimmauld Place part 1

Autumn was fragrent in the air as the days grew deeper into September. Hogwarts was becoming more and more accustomed to Kenshin, just as he was to them. It seemed that many students had had the same moral dilemma that had befalled Fred and George- Kenshin was a staffmember, so it made sense that he was fall outside the ranks of the honest, hardworking students- one to be plotted against and to be kept out of the exclusive inner student society. And yet, he was so young; and he lived with them, ate with them, and attended classes with them- so it was often easy to forget. He even seemed to have a sort of unwritten peace agreement with Fred and George- they used their considerable influence to keep him from the deadly classification as a 'teacher' and showed him the most hidden routes of the castle; in return, Kenshin would turn a blind eye over everything they did that he did not personally deem dangerous, and also confided in them the many possibilities of wabasi powder.

Kenshin attended everycourse offered at Hogwarts that did not directly involve magic usage, attending each the same amount of times per week. Any time left over he would spend in Defense Against the Dark Arts or exploring the castle and grounds. Runes, Arithmancy, Divination, Astronomy, Potions, Herbology, D.A.D.A, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, and Muggle Studies were all things he had to attend. (Though, sadly, his worst subject was Muggle Studies, despite being a muggle himself- it focused mainly on the modern English lifestyle, and even in his own country and time period, he had been living less than the usual muggle life.)

Kenshin's favorite subject was, believe it or not, Potions. Despite the tension between him and Professor Snape, Kenshin had a deft hand and a sharp eye with ingredients. Also, interestingly enough, the looming black prescence that always radiated from Snape, while it often had an adverse effect on many of his student's potion-making abilities (it was unnerving with him flapping around the place and looking over your shoulder all the time) it seemed to not faze Kenshin at all. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had not yet seen him in a Potions class, but after hearing him tell them how much he enjoyed it (and after Harry told the other two about their encounter with Snape) they were quite keen to see it.

"This sucks." Ron growled, tossing his quill down onto the parchment in a final way. "Stupid essay...I think Snape must really have it in for us this year. Or maybe he's just that angry?"

Harry didn't answer, too busy reading the same line in his own essay over and over again without taking in a single word. It was dull work.

"It's not that difficult." Hermione said reasonably, sitting in her chair knitting, having already finished. "It's all material we've covered in class. If you'd just listen once in awhile..."

"I wish Kenshin would hurry up and visit our class. At least it would make it more interesting to be around Snape...and the Slytherins." he grinned. "Imagine Malfoy! I wonder if he suspects that Kenshin has anything to do with the Order."

"Come to think of it..." Hermione said thoughtfully, looking up. "I haven't heard or seen Malfoy much lately. I'm surprised his father hasn't made a big stink about Lupin being here."

"I'd bet you he's up to something." Harry said grimly, speaking up at last. "Lucius Malfoy, I mean. When you think about it, there's no way he'll take this sitting down. I mean, he's been trying to discredit Dumbledore this whole time. And he probably knows that Kenshin's here, even though they've been trying to keep him low-key. He's gotta know that something's been going on here under his nose, even if he doesn't know exactly what it is. Have you noticed that Kenshin hasn't come into  _any_  of the classes we share with the Slytherins? That's no coincidence. I'm sure that he avoids them as much as he can."

"Still, it would be funny, wouldn't it?" Ron said. "Hey, let's ask him if he's going to sometime." he seemed far too eager to for an excuse to stop working.

"He's not in here, though." Harry said, looking over the hands of the people in the common room and seeing no sign of their new teacher.

"He can't have gone to bed already." Hermione said incredulously.

* * *

Kenshin sat in the window, gazing out over the Forbidden Forest in a semi meditative state. All of the four-poster beds were empty- Kenshin had only one roomate, a jittery seventh-year boy who was constantly in and out of the hospital wing because of bad nerves. He was training to become a Healer, and all of his advanced placement N.E.W.T classes had him in a constant incoherent when he wasn't in the hospital wing, he was in the library working, or asleep, so Kenshin got a great deal of privacy.

Kenshin always slept sitting in the window- it made him feel safer to be closed in on three saides, and he found it more comfortable than lying in bed somehow. Not to have the efforts of the house-elves go unnoticed, on cold nights he would wrap up the warming plate they put out and keep it at his feet. The elves also graciously provided for him a freshly washed gi to sleep in at night. Wizard's robes weren't too different from what he was used to, but he just couldn't get a liking for pajamas. A man neededa little breathing room, after all. He also had his sakabatou propped up against his shoulder. It was something he did whenever he could risk it. Going without his sword was like going without his right hand. He had a lot of difficulty sleeping if he didn't have it. It was this and other things that made it painfully obvious to him that, after four months of living in the Wizarding world, the effects of war were far from gone from him. He doubted highly that they would ever be, really. Sometimes, in horror, he'd even catch himself mentally planning whenever he let his mind wander- noting nooks and crannies never seen by light, appropriate places to strike invisibly from...he still had a predatory instinct in this way. It was one of the reasons why he still couldn't believe that he'd been brought here to be a part of the Order. Most of the people who knew who he was felt uncomfortable around him, excluding Lupin and perhaps Dumbledore. He smiled as he remembered how, after a week after his arrival, Lupin had brought him to see the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix- number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

 


	6. At Grimmauld Place part 2

It was perfectly understandable for Sirius to dislike him, Kenshin thought as he stood just out of sight while Lupin went inside. Lupin was going in first to tell them all that Kenshin had arrived, and Kenshin couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, these people knew who he was- that in itself went against deeply ingrained instincts- and Lupin's explinations about Sirius' overall temperment didn't make him feel much better. It  _would_ make him better prepared, however. Sirius had many reasons for his feelings- feelings intensified when he had discovered Kenshin was actually going to be rooming in Gryffandor. He'd been to Azkaban for twelve years for a murder he didn't commit, was percecuted and forced into hiding, and now a real-life murderer was going to be living so close to his beloved godson. Sirius had done nothing wrong and yet he'd had to force his way into Hogwarts just to see him. And now this hitokiri was being stationed there, by none other than the Order!

It was a slightly awkward situation.

"You've brought him  _here?_ " an outraged voice yelled, right on cue. "Right into headquarters! Why don't you just go ahead and tell him all of our secrets as well?"

"I told you that you had to meet him to understand, Sirius." Lupin said in a pacifying tone. "He will keep to his word! You'll see."

Before Sirius could say another word, Lupin pulled Kenshin into view, disregarding his own spluttering protests.

Sirius froze and stared at him in a very dog-like way, sizing up the stranger and determining the threat. Feeling challenged, Kenshin stared back defiantly.  
Lupin nudged him. "Look non-threatning." he whispered.

Kenshin gave him a look. What was he supposed to do when this man's aura felt as if he had every intention of attacking him? He relaxed only slightly.

"This  _boy?_ " Sirius said bluntly.

Kenshin bristled, but said nothing. Sirius walked toward him until they were barely an inch apart. Sirius practically loomed over Kenshin, who nevertheless held his ground without a blink.

"Yes. This...boy...is quite capable." Lupin said, delicately stressing 'boy'. "And, as you can see, is a clearheaded individual that does not rashly jump in and attack anybody that crosses his path. Your worries are unfounded..."

"What about the Ministry?" Sirius said in a low voice, backing off but never letting Kenshin out of sight. "They're just letting him in the school, are they? Or do they not know?"

"They know." Lupin said. "That is...the ones that matter know. It seems that Fudge only briefly reviewed the request, saw the word 'muggle' and sent it off without anymore the wiser. Luckily, we have plenty of influence in Muggle Relations."

Sirius now took his eyes off Kenhshin to look at Lupin incrediously. "What? I would have thought that he would be much more watchful of anything to do with us after you squeezed through and became a teacher again."

"Ah...well." Lupin said hesitantly, seeming to debate with himself on what to say for a moment. "Yes...well...you see, that was more of a compromise in the first place. Dumbledore had to agree to allow dementors around the school."

"WHAT?" In horror and disbelief, Sirius gaped at Lupin. His face paled at the mere memoryof the vile creatures.

"But Kenshin's case was overlooked by the Ministry, thankfully." Lupin said,carefully steering the conversation back on track. "But, perhaps it would make you feel better to know that Dumbledore cared much less than it appears for Fudge's demands...rather, hismain reason for letting those horrors on school grounds again was, in fact, because of Kenshin."

Sirius turned back to Kenshin, who looked expressionlessly back.

"Will you all try to keep your voices down, everyone is sleeping...oh!" Mrs. Weasley came in, clad in a red flannel night-gown, and spotted them all.

"Remus! I didn't hear you come in. Why...who is that?" she squinted in the dim light at Kenshin, whose face had dissolved from its stony look into one of vague confusion.

"It's Hogwarts' latest aquisition, Molly." Lupin said pleasently. "The Kenshin Himura you've heard so much about."

"My!" Mrs. Weasley came up and squeezed Kenshin's arm- instantly startled, he jumped back, eyes wide. "He's all skin and bone! He looks positively dead on his feet! Have you not fed the boy, Lupin?" She roved a dissaproving eye over Lupin himself. "What was I thinking, of course, you don't even tend to your own self..."

Lupin did not seemed concerned. In fact, he seemed disturbingly amused by this turn of events.

"My apologies, Molly." he said with a wide smile. "But he's been at Hogwarts and feeds himself mostly. I'm sure that there would be no harm, however, if you tended to him."

"Certainly not, no harm at all. Some of the men are in the meeting room, you can give them your report. I'll take care of him."

"Thanks, Molly." Lupin said, barely repressing a laugh, and he left the room.

Kenshin, now more panicked than ever, pleaded with his eyes for him not to leave- or to be allowed to leave too- but it was no use. Sirius, hovering between being included in the meeting and Kenshin, decided to play watchdog for Mrs. Weasley and sat at the table.

Kenshin endured Mrs. Weasley's fussing for however long the meeting lasted (to him it felt like hours) and then he and Lupin left. Fortunately, though, the upside of it all was that Sirius became less hostile- his opinion of Kenshin went up considerably over that time, not to mention a small seed of doubt grew in his mind that made him question the dangerous nature of Kenshin at all. He could barely manage a middle-aged woman who was only attempting to make him eat breakfast! And he  _was_  a Muggle, after all (not to be discriminating)... Harry and the others could surely take care of themselves if his loyalties proved shaky.

* * *

Kenshin had visited Grimmauld Place several times after that. Sirius was now a good friend. He smiled to imagine that he had always been around while Harry, Ron, and Hermione- Fred, George, and Ginny- while they all slept, and he had just lately met them. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable. Before, the idea that Dumbledore was allowing dementors around the school had meant nothing to him. He thought it was a foolish idea, being that their alliegence did not lie with Dumbledore any longer- but he had had no scope of the true horror of it until he had come in contact with them himself. He could not yet fathom why Dumbledore felt it was necessary to have them there because of him. Had he known that Sirius would accept Kenshin better because of it? Or did he truely hold the slightest bit of concern that it was an action vital to the student's safety? Kenshin couldn't bear the thought of Dumbledore not trusting him. And yet, he never dared ask what his reasons were. Most men he could see, and read like a book. Dumbledore was different. He was intimidating in a way that couldn't be explained.

The dementors. Kenshin gritted his teeth as the cold horror from the mere memory of it threatned to consume him. The intense chill they always brought only too well increased the experience of reliving the worst memory of his life. It was as if someone had constructed for him the ultimate agony. He didn't know if the things existed in his own time, but he shuddered to think of the possibilities. He knew that if one of his enimies found a way to utalize such a thing, he would be completely and totally vulnerable. Such weakness frustrated him, especially since he already had the disadvantage (in this place at least) of lacking magical ability.

There was a nightmare that he would sometimes had, and it came back to him most often when he was preparing for sleep. In it the dementors descended on him all at once to deliver their deadly Kiss, pulling him in, the fear a palpable frost- only to draw back suddenly, enraged, to find that, in fact, there was no soul there to take...

BANG!

Suddenly a loud noise disrupted the silence, piercing through his morbid thoughts. High-strung as it was and drenched with a deep fear he had never before been accustomed to, he was up with his sword halfway drawn before his brain even registred his body's reaction. His muscles were so attuned against danger that they had been preparing to strike this whole time.

Ron had rushed in, was surprised to find the room dark, and had tripped over a pair of shoes in the way. As a result, he had fallen with a distinct lack of grace into a nearby bedstead. Needless to say, he made quite a lot of noise.

He looked up and suddenly a huge invisible force rushed toward him violently. Caught off-guard, he hit the wall. He was a little dazed, but unhurt. What worried him more was the dark figure outlined in the window, the slight gleam of metal he caught and lost so quickly that only a moment later he half felt he imagined it.

Next thing Ron knew, though, a pair of hands was helping him up and he could hear Kenshin's concerned voice.

"Sumenei, Ron, sessha was startled, daijobu ka? I'm so sorry, I should have been more careful...you're not hurt, are you?" Kenshin said, the wierd mix of languages a clear sign of his distress.

Ron blinked, stunned. "Don't worry about it, Kenshin, of course anyone would be surprised to be woken up like that...look, I'm not hurt, so it's no big deal, okay?"

"Sorry." he said again. He paused. "Anyway, you should probably be getting to bed yourself."

"Yeah." Ron said, disregarding the fact that it was still too early. He awkwardly turned and left, completely forgetting the reason why he came.

Kenshin slumped down on the edge of a four-poster.

 _You need to be more careful! Baka!_ He scolded himself. He sighed and flopped back on the bed, tightly gripping the sword he'd almost unleashed on the unsuspecting young wizard as if he could discipline it. It might have found it's way to the boy's flesh if the lad had actually caught him asleep. Kenshin got up and silently went to the door. A lock was there. Good. He turned it, feeling only marginally safer.

He had been taught not to brood too deeply in deadly waters, lest he drown, and this was exactly why. Kenshin sighed again wearily, and very, very reluctantly, he put the sakabatou back in his trunk. He did not want to risk it agian. Dumbledore's reputation could not take another blow, and to have a staff member attack a studed unprovoked at this time, it would not be well for him at all.


	7. Potions Class

"So you were pushed all the way back against the wall, but he didn't touch you?" Hermione said carefully, helping herself to the stack of toast.

Ron nodded. "It was like some kind of spell. Like Expellarmus except he didn't say anything."

Harry and Hermione had stayed up after Ron had left, chatting, and it wasn't until they had gone to bed that they realized Ron's abscence. Now they were at breakfast, and he was filling them in on what had happened.

"Well, it  _is_ possible to cast a spell without speaking." Hermione said with a shrug. "You just startled him, Ron. You should've knocked first before just barging in."

"Maybe." Harry said. "But that's a pretty advanced trick for a new wizard."

"Well, Lupin's bound to have taught him something, and that spell's basic. Besides, Harry, Lupin taught  _you_  the Patronus Charm in third year, remember? None of us can do it yet. It just takes enough natural talent and the right teacher, is all. What," she added, sounding annoyed, "do you think  _you_ have a better explination? You've been so suspiscious of Kenshin from the very beginning."

"Well, maybe so." Harry said. "But it's better to be careful, don't you think? We've seen that it's possible to even fool Dumbledore, with that fake Moody last year."

"Yeah, speaking of Moody, the two of you could be best mates with the way you've been carrying on lately." Hermione said crossly. "If you're that concerned, why don't you just go to Lupin about it? Or just talk to Kenshin yourself."

"Well, I've tried that, but..." he drifted off as he saw that Hermione suddenly had a very odd look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Ron..." she said slowly. "Do you remember that package my parents sent me a couple of weeks ago? The one with the electric toothbrush in it that you thought your dad would go crazy over?"

"Sure." he said, confused. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

"Kenshin thought it was interesting too. In fact, he acted like he'd never seen such a thing before. He kept flipping it on and off."

"Yeah, so? I'd never seen one either."

"But wouldn't something like that be pretty normal to him?" Hermione said, "If he was raised by Muggles?"

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So...are you saying you think he could be lying about that?" Harry said. "But why would he? Seems kind of like a pointless lie to me."

"It would explain why he could do that spell." Ron said reluctantly. "But Harry's right, it seems like the kind of thing that it would be useless to lie about...in fact, most people, if they lie about their lineage, it's usually the other way around. They try to make themselves sound pureblood."

"No, you're right, that wouldn't make sense." Hermione said. "But what if there was another reason...what if he came from a place that doesn't have those kind of things, or maybe a  _time_ that doesn't..." she abruptly stood up and was mumbling to herself. "Himura...I knew that name was familiar...but he couldn't be...why would Dumbledore...? But he doesn't seem like it either..." she picked up her bags and rushed out, leaving her half-eaten breakfast and the other two staring after her.

"What was  _that_ about?" Ron said, bewhildered.

"No telling, but i'm sure we'll know soon enough." Harry said, pouring some more sugar over his corn flakes. "You know it's best to leave her to her own mad way of doing things until she's ready to spell it out for the rest of us."

* * *

Breakfast came and went and all too soon it was time for the first class of the day: the worst possible prospect for a Monday morning, double Potions. Nothing was better than the cold chill of Snape's dungeons and Malfoy's smug face for two full hours in the morning. Other than, you know, getting shot in the head. Harry and Ron found themselves at Snape's dungeon door, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe she got in already?" Harry said.

"No, look, here she comes." Ron looked behind them as Hermione came running up, short of breath. "Where were you? Snape's going to kill me already for not having his essay done...much less if we're late for class in the bargain..."

"Don't worry about that now." Hermione said, panting. "Listen, Kenshin-"

"Inside." Harry said, pushing her in. "I don't want a detention, thank you."

"Well, it's good to hear that, Mr. Potter."

All three of them stopped abruptly when they saw the entire class looking at them. A cold smirk was playing across Draco Malfoy's pale, pointed face. But that's not what really made them stop so suddenly. It was that, instead of the looming bat-like figure of Snape sitting at the front desk, it was none other than Professor Himura Kenshin.

"Take your seats, please." he said pleasently. "Unless you really do desire a detention- then, by all means, continue standing there like a flock of wide-eyed pigeons."

Huh? When did Kenshin all of a sudden decide tostart acting like a real teacher? And where was Snape?

They all took their usual seats, Hermione looking fit to burst with what she wanted to tell them, but remaining silent.

It was odd, but the natural prescence Snape used in order to effortlessly keep his class quiet seemed to be a trait also had by Kenshin, despite the fact that his stature was far less impressive and he was overall less intimidating.

"Good morning, everyone." Kenshin said, standing from the desk and walking in front of it. Lupin's training seemed to be doing him a lot of good- he actually seemed like a real teacher and wasn't afraid of being in front of a class anymore. "For those who don't know me, I am Professor Himura, the new substitute, and I have been splitting subbing duties with Professor Grubbly-Plank this year as training for my own teaching career." he told the story he and Lupin had formulated together sosmoothly that even Harry almost believed he was nothing more than a teacher-in-training. "My native language is Japanese, and I use a Translating Charm to communicate, so if I ever say something strange that you do not understand, tell me and I will try to be clearer. Many of you have seen me in Professor Lupin's class, but this is the first Slytherin class I have been to, so I know that half the class has never met me before. Professor Snape," he went over to the chalkboard and wrote a number on it. "Has given a lesson for you to do on this page of your books...a basic Sleeping Potion. He realizes that this is quite a simple potion for 5th year, and has told me to tell you that he will be adding another two feet to yourhomework essay from last Friday. He doubts my ability to teach you anything too complicated, and as such, he decided to give you more homework instead."

Several groans were heard from the crowd, except from Ron- at least they didn't have to turn in the essay today- and Hermione, who had done well over two feet more than the essay had originally called for anyway.

"Where is Professor Snape anyway?" Dean Thomas asked. "I thought he'd have to be dying of the flu or something before he let anyone take over his class."

"Professor Snape has kindly allowed me this oppertunity. He is taking the day off in order to plan lessons and catch up on paperwork."

Silence. Not a one of them believed it, but nobody said anything. Not out loud, anyway.

"I bet he's really gone on a mission."Harry whispered. "There's no way I could see him actually willingly letting Kenshin take over his class for a day."

Nevertheless, this was an interesting turn of events to what had previously seemed like a doomed morning, and so without any further adothe class started, most feeling as if Christmas had come early. An easy lesson and a changed due date for an assignment! For Snape's class, this sort of break was simply unheard people turned in their books to the indicated page, a small buzz of chatter went up and finally they could ask Hermione what was going on.

"Not here." she said so quietly that they could barely hear, even standing next to her. "Later."

"...Seems like they'll let anyone or anything become a teacher these days." Malfoy was saying to Pansy Parkingson in an unnecessarily loud tone of voice. "First that half-giant half wit, a werewolf, and now some kid who's probably not even qualified. He looks like they just took somebody off of the street and gave him the job. Or wait, maybe judging by the secondhand robes and red hair he's actually one of Weasley's distant relatives?After all it seems Weasley himself has barely mastered the English language."

"Why you-" Ron started, and Harry grabbed his shoulder in warning. His outburst wasn't necessary, however, because Kenshin was all over it.

"Oh no, Draco, this potion is all wrong." Kenshin said, causing Malfoy to jump-he hadn't realized that Kenshin waslooking over hisshoulder. Kenshin took the book from his hands and looked at it carefully. "I don't think you've been reading it correctly. I see you've added unicorn hair when it says very clearly in this text that you must use the hair of the person the potion is intended for."

"Ow!" Malfoy said, his hands flying to the top of his head as Kenshin, much too swift for him, had plucked one of his hairs out and dropped it in the cauldron.

"Though I do hope that your excessive use of hair products does not cause an adverse effect on the potion, because that would effect your grade."

"But...it  _does_ say to use unicorn hair." Hermione commented in a puzzled voice, looking down at her book. Harry couldn't help but grin. He knew exactly what Kenshin was up to.

"And if I'm reading this correctly, which I sure I am, it says to use baking soda...where you actually about to put in powdered chamomile? Do you know how dangerous it is to put in the wrong ingredients into a potion without know what kind of effects it will have? You need to pay more attention to your work than socializing." Kenshin said, sprinkling baking soda into Malfoy's half-formed potion. "Now then, if you think you can continue the right way, then I'll be off observing the rest of the class." he walked away, leaving Malfoy to stand in a sort of stunned confusion.

Exactly five seconds later...

Acrid black smoke filled the dungeon. Malfoy, Pansy, and a few other Slytherins were sent to the hospital wing with minor burns, and Malfoy's cauldron was now a melted, misshapen lump on his table. Kenshin had profusely apologized, saying that he didn't know a word of English and must have misread the whole thing after all.

"Kenshin..." Ron said in amazement and awe. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Oh, well..." Kenshin laughed. "Sometimes I rather think I've spent too much time in Sirius' company...I'm sure he'd love to hear about this..."

"You could have really hurt them!" Hermione said shrilly. "It IS dangerous to be messing up potion ingredients like that!"

"Oh, don't worry, Hermione. I know that. I wasn't going to put in anything that would end up seriously injuring them." he frowned. "I do kind of feel bad about it now, though...I'll get Dumbledore in trouble." he was quickly drawing out of his mischevious mood.

"Aw, don't worry about that, they more than deserved it anyway. Especially Malfoy." Harry said.

"Oh yes, and I am also sorry if I seemed strange earlier." Kenshin said. "I am not supposed to act too friendly toward you three around Malfoy and a few other Slytherins that might put two and two together and figure out I'm in the Order." he looked over to where people where still fanning black smoke around, making doubly sure no one could overhear."It's suspiscious enough, what with Lupin. Oh, he's not going to like this..."

"Hey, we didn't know you knew Sirius, we've never seen you around his house before." Ron said.

"I go there often, now." Kenshin said. "And I was there a few times over the summer, when you all were sleeping. Sirius didn't like me very much to begin with, but we're actually pretty good friends now."

"So it  _was_ you, after all, just likeRon thought." Hermione said quietly.

"Huh?"Ron said, looking from Hermione to Kenshin, who had suddenly become very still.

"Class is dismissed!"Kenshin called, turning to the other students. "I will call Filch down here to clean up this mess. I advise everyone to use the remainer of the class time to return to their common rooms and complete that extra homework." and with that he walked into Snape's office, closing the door behind him.

"What was...that all about?" Ron said, confused. He looked at Hermione. "What's going on?"

"Come on." Hermione said grimly. "I'll tell you when we get to the common room."

* * *

"It all has to do with this book." Hermione said, plopping it down on the table. "Ron, you were right. It  _was_  Kenshin that Lupin and Sirius were arguing about this summer."

"What?" Harry said. "But I thought we agreed that couldn't be right...for one thing, Kenshin's not dangerous, and for another, he's not a Muggle."

"Yes, he is." Hermione said. "In fact, I think he's probably the only Muggle seriously considered dangerous in the Wizarding world." she opened the book and started turning through the pages.

"Alright, you're going to have to explain this one to me." Ron said, crossing his arms. "This is pretty far-fetched, even for you."

"Well, firstly..." Hermione picked up the heavy book and moved it to her lap. "For a long time I kept thinking that his last name was really familiar, though I couldn't think of from where, because I haven't really heard of that many Japanese people. Then this morning I thought of that electric toothbrush, and it suddenly occured to me...what if Kenshin was actually from a time before things like that were invented, and not only that, but was the only Himura I've ever heard of? Somebody that happens to be in the same book Sirius and Lupin were talking about- and you heard Kenshin say himself that Sirius didn't like him at first, right?"

"Yeah..." Harry said slowly. "But even if, for some reason, Kenshin really is from the past- it wouldn't make sense for a Muggle to be sent to a magical school. Besides, Ron said he did magic, right?"

"Well, I don't know what else it could have been." Ron said. "But like I said, I didn't hear him say anything, and there was no flash of light either."

"And I've never seen him carrying a wand." Hermione said. "I don't know what he did. Maybe it was just Ron's imagination. But listen. If I'm right...well, just read this." she shoved the book into Harry's hand. Ron stood up to look over his shoulder. Harry gave Hermione a questioning look once before deciding to just humor her. He bent his head over to read.


	8. Find Your Inner Rurouni

Lupin looked up in slight surprise as his office door opened and Harry stormed in, Ron and Hermione following behind closely.

"Shouldn't you three be in class?" he noticed that all of them, especially Harry, looked a little bit upset, and judging by their heavy breathing, had either run here or walked very quickly. "What's the matter?"

"How come you never bothered to mention," Harry said, walking straight up to his desk. "the fact that we've been staying with a mass murderer for over two months now?"

Lupin's mouth opened slightly in surprise, before thinning into a grim line. He stood up and closed his office door behind them.

"Well?" Harry demanded. "Is it true?"

"I know that the three of you tend to like taking matters into your own hands whenever you encounter something that you don'tunderstand." Lupin turned to them. He seemed almost angry. "But I must tell you, this time, I'm afraid you've gone too far with your need to stick your nose into anyone and everyone's business. You're treading in dangerous waters here, Harry. Did it occur to you even once the entire time you were jumping to conclusions that there might just be a reason for why you weren't told?"

Harry was surprised, even taken aback, by Lupin's harsh words and the tone he had phrased them in.

"And why not?" he said, recovering. "After all, if I was ever told anything at all, there wouldn't be any conclusions to jump to! Though I can't see any remotely feasible explinations for bringing an assassin from over a hundred years ago into the Order of the Pheonix and putting him in with all the unsuspecting Gryffandors..."

"Please, Sir." Hermione said. "We just want to understand. Is it only a coincidence that...?"

Lupin sighed heavily, sitting down at his desk again. "No, no, I'm sure you've already figured out that coincidences that big just don't happen. It is true."

"Then why?" Ron said.

"Snape was tailing us one time when he saw Kenshin around me alone." Harry said. "Sirius didn't like him either. I can see why- he's forced to stay locked up because a murder he didn't even commit, while Himura goes around freely- and you put him in the Order! The group that's fighting Voldemort! And he's probably Voldemort's biggest hero!" He didn't want to call him Kenshin.

"It was Dumbledore's decision to bring him here." Lupin said sternly. "How much do really know about the Hitokiri Battousai? Have you even heard of that name before now?"

"I know he's one of the most famous assassins in history, who took the lives of countless people without a shred of pity or remose!"

"Really? Did you overlook the fact that he single-handedly foiled an attempt by a band of Dark wizards to control the world? Did you know that everything he ever did was for his comrads and for the overall good of the people? Did you discover the fact that I had to intervene in order to keep him from killing himself? Pity, remorse? It would be better for him if he had none."

"But it's still a huge risk to be doing this, what was Dumbledore thinking?" Ron said.

"He's still a killer!" Harry exclaimed.

"I already told you, Dumbledore did it, and he has his own reasons. Kenshin has sworn off killing ever again, and it just so happens that Dumbledore trusts him- and so does Sirius, now. And so do I." he looked Harry in the eye. "It doesn't matter how much you hate him or what he did, how much it repulses you, or how much you can't understand why we do trust him. Because any of those feelings you have about him now that you know the truth would be overshadowed by what he's felt about himself the past six years of his life since he became an assassin."

None of the three could think of what to say to that.

"You're really angry because you've liked him this whole time, and you feel tricked. Hermione probably feels especially so, since she's supposed to be the one who saves you all with her knowledge of every danger lurking nearby. After all, she discovered that I was a werewolf pretty easily. Plus I think she might have fancied him a little, too."

"Professor!"

"But you, Harry, you of all people should be able to see that he is truely sorry for what he's done, you've seen first hand the terrible effect the dementors have on him. Can't you understand why? It is one thing to see someone killed in front of you, quite another to actually be the killer youself. He's one of the strongest people I know, yet, like you, the dementors are a huge weakness. Often, the strongest people are made that way because of the things they've experienced. Think about that."

Lupin dismissed them from his office very soon after that. Harry left feeling as if he hadn't got to say all he'd wanted to say; it wasn't okay to just not be mad about it anymore, and besides, he had so many questions he hadn't got the answers to. Lupin had advised Harry to take up any further concerns with Kenshin himself- and told him that he could probably find him at Hagrid's house, since that's where he usually went when he didn't have a class to attend to.

Surprisingly, Harry decided to take Lupin up on that request. He was still a bit unsure. Ron wanted to go along, too, and Hermione cautioned that soon it would be time for their next class- but Harry went alone, and told them he'd meet up with them next period. When he walked across the familiar grounds down to the gamekeeper's cabin, he found Hagrid himself sitting out front, stroking a jet-black owl Harry instantly recognized as Kage. The creature turned its yellow-greeny eyes on him and hooted softly.  
"Oh, Harry! Good morning! So, you were another lucky one that got out of Snape's class, eh?"

"Yeah. Hagrid, have you seen Ken- Professor Himura around anywhere?"

"Oh, sure, he's out back feedin' the threstles. Got a natural way with 'em, he does. Why, just the other day, I was telling him he ought to be able to make a pretty good living, trainin' them and all, but I don't really think he'd go for that kind of thing. A shame, really."

Harry nodded absently. "Thanks." he patted Fang, who in turn got up to follow him into the woods. Harry hoped it wouldn't be too far, but one couldn't be too cautious when it came to the Forbidden Forest. After all, it was called Forbidden for a reason.

He also wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say if he did find Kenshin. He knew that, thanks to what Hermione had said to him, that he probably knew that they knew about him now. And he hadn't wanted to have a reason to hate Kenshin for any reason- after all, he really was a good person, and become almost one of the group after all the time they'd spent with him. But Lupin had been dead right, the worst thing about feeling that your trust was betrayed was that they had your trust in the first place. Harry felt that, if he'd let himself be as easily duped as he had last year with the fake Moody, it really was amazing he'd lived this long. For a moment there he'd been so sure that they had on their hands another bad guy who'd fooled all the good ones- and made it all the way to the Order. But everybody had already known about it, eveybody but him. As usual. And he still couldn't understand why they'd brought Kenshin here- but now that his anger was cooling off, he was finding it harder and harder to believe that he really was a bloodthirsty, merciless killer. One couldn't easily attach a title like that to someone who smiled so genuinely about the simple activity of a busy school, or who was rendered helplessly confused by Hermione yelling at the twins...or someone who so completely lost all of their senses from just two dementors.

Before long Harry caught the sound of rustling movement nearby, and he veered off toward the sound until he found what he'd been looking for. Four or five threstles stood in a small clearing, snorting and tossing their dragonish heads. They'd obviously just finished eating, because the large skeleton of what was probably a cow lay nearby, picked clean. Kenshin stood with his back to Harry, petting one of them, the creature standing very still with its wings half-unfurled, obviously enjoying the petting very much. Hagrid was right- they seemed to like him. Harry wondered if, the more death you've seen, the more the threstles liked you. That was probably a ridiculous notion, he decided. He stood there, still having no idea why he was here or what he thought he was going to say. Luckily, though, Kenshin spoke up first.

"I lost my parents when I was very young, just you did, though I wasn't quite as young as you were. I do have some surviving memories of them." he said softly.

Harry stiffened. How had Kenshin known he was standing there, let alone who it was?

"But, I did have a Master who found me and taught me how to use a sword- and he became like my father. He was vulgar, arrogant, and loved to call me an idiot, but despite all that, he was the closest thing to family I had." Kenshin turned so that Harry saw the small smile on his face. "You're lucky to have Sirius as your godfather. He may be reckless sometimes, and a little rough around the edges, but I can tell he really cares about you."

"Yeah." Harry said awkwardly. Not knowing what else to do, he came over and touched the threstle's strange skin, stroking it too.

"So. I suppose you've found out, haven't you." Kenshin said quietly.

Harry nodded. "You can trust us, though- we won't tell anyone."

"No." Kenshin said. "If you weren't trustworthy, I expect this time would be doomed already, wouldn't it? Of course, there are many adverse effectsa person can cause, despite how good their intentions may be."

"Sorry." Harry mumbled.

Kenshin looked at him, surprised. "Oh, I wasn't talking about you. Just thinking out loud, really." he lowered his gaze. "In a war, both sides believe that they are the ones that are right. That is why there is a conflict in the first place. War would be much easier if it was always so clear as to who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Right now, in your battle, it isn't quite so difficult yet to decide. But if it continues to go on, to spread, and grow like a black disease, things will change. You've seen the start of it already, haven't you? Innocent people who get involved with the enemy against their will, and enimies you think you can trust to be for the good. If full war happens it will only get worse and worse. Before you know it you won't even remember who your fighting against or what you're fighting for."

Harry's brow was furrowed. The prospect of such a thing was a very suffocating and mind-tangling thought. Yes, so far a few innocent people had been involved, but hadn't the mission always been very clear? To stop Voldemort?

"But listen, Harry." Kenshin continued. "If that ever happens to you, if you ever forget what you're fighting for or even doubt if you're on the right side, you will become so vulnerable that you will die. Either your enemy will see that weakness, and kill you, or you will waste away, or you will end it yourself. In the Bakumatsu there were many factions, all with their own differing needs and goals, so it wasn't very cut and dried. I hope that this conflict that you are in never grows that large, because in chaos like that, the only way you can keep fighting is to not think about it. I just got my orders, and I followed them. I ceased to be human, but became a tool. Here killing is a horrible thing, but only because everyone has their human minds. If real war happens, that could change. What I'm saying is, end it as quickly as you possibly can. Don't let other things, small things, hold you down. People like that Malfoy boy will only make the situation worse."

"You don't have to tell me that." Harry said. "He's been no good from the very beginning. His father is even one of Voldemort's close supporters." a slow smile took over his face. "Has he got out of the hospital wing, yet?"

"Last time I checked, no." Kenshin said, and he couldn't help it, he smiled too. "At least he can't use his father's influence to get me fired- for all he knows, I'm not even officialy hired! I spoke with Dumbledore about it, though. As far as he's concened, it was a simple, honest mistake caused by inexperience and a faulty Translating Charm." his face turned into a full grin, the same one he'd had earlier when he pulled the prank.

"Snape'll probably be not too happy about it, though." Harry said. "Malfoy's one of his favorite students."

Kenshin shrugged, a gesture that seemed very out of place for him, since he usually moved with such deft, calculated movements all of the time. It seemed to be a habit he'd picked up. "Snape is never happy, so it won't change much. Besides." he gave an almost pained look. "He will more likely go straight to Dumbledore rather than me, if he does anything at all. You see...well...I don't know if you've noticed, but he doesn't like to be near me very much..."

"Yeah, I bet he's scared of you." Harry said. "He probably heard bedtime stories about you when he was a kid, seeing as how he's always been so into the Dark arts."

"Dumbledore thinks..." Kenshin hesitated, as if unsure if it was okay to reveal this information, "he thinks it's possible that the enemy, if they discover that I am here, will either hesitate more in making a move, buying more time for our side; or they will approach me directly, either to challenge me or to offer me to come to their side. Either way, the intention is to provide a distraction, so that you may be able to get through more of your education without being interrupted. During Christmas break I will most likely be sent on some sort of scouting mission- to make myself known gradually, appearing here and there to spook them. That is why I can't let myself seem anything more than a student teacher at the moment."

Harry tried to picture Kenshin, on a scouting mission, appear before a Death Eater and try to spook them. The result was that he flat-out could not imagine it.

"That sounds risky." Harry said. "After all, you're just a Muggle, aren't you? Voldemort's supporters have dangerous magic at their disposal that they don't mind using on somebody no matter who they are."

Kenshin smiled. It was amazing how much younger it made him look. "Things here really are strange, if you're worried about me. It's alright. After all, they think that I can do magic too...mysterious Dark magic nobody knows the secret of. And I won't go alone- there will always be someone there with me, ready to send me back to my time if worst comes to worst. Trust me, Moody's already thought of every likely situation- and a good deal others a bit less likely. Anyway..." he looked up to the sky, then to where Harry had come from. "It's really about time we should both be getting back to our classes. It would not do to be late on top of everything else." he gave the threstle one last pat, then started back out of the woods. Harry followed suit.

"No matter what happens, though, Harry- I'll always be glad that I got to come here. This has been an experience I'll never forget. It's very heartening, to see how things have become in this time. People no longer relate swords with death or terror anymore. To me, that in itself is amazing. I can see why they chose to wait until after the war to bring me here. I'm not sure that I'd make it, after growing so soft here!" his face was a mixture of pride and had he become so easy to read? "I am more motovated than ever to help peoplewho, even in my time, are able to find this peace. Not simply out of atonement, but because this era that you live in is, indeed, possible. And the best part is- I will never be able to stray from that belief, no matter what the cynicism of my age may say, because I've seen it with my own eyes, so I know that this world is possible."

And with that he and Harry walked up to the castle together. It felt like a new start, a new determination- at least on Harry's part- that, no matter what happened, he would win. He would not let Voldemort spread the dark misery he was inching closer to producing in the minds of the Wizarding world- and, if he wasn't stopped- the whole world in general. The world Kenshin spoke of, that war created, must truely be hell if someone that came from it found the struggles going on here a peaceful paradise. Voldemort would not win. War wouldn't swallow the world whole.

Harry wouldn't let it.


	9. Departure

_**Several months later** _

"Harry?" Kenshin called quietly, opening the door to the fifth year's common room. He saw Harry's still form sitting on the edge of his four-poster, a bit of crumpled paper in one hand and a smooth, flat mirror in the other that he was leaning over closely. Harry raised his bowed head slightly before quickly tossing the mirror into his trunk.

"What?" he said. He was trying to sound tough, but Kenshin could hear a noticeable waver in his voice.

Kenshin closed the door behind him.

"Hagrid told me that you might need somebody to talk to. He was worried."

Harry didn't answer. His swirling, battling emotions were so strong Kenshin could almost feel them in the air, see them hanging over the young wizard like a black, suffocating cloud.

Kenshin felt slightly awkward. He wasn't very practiced in comforting people, and this situation in particular was a delicate one.

"Harry." He said finally. "You can't beat yourself up over this…Sirius, like all of those in the Order, chose to fight knowing the risks, and knowing the possible consequences that could come from-"

"You sound just like Dumbledore." Harry said sullenly. "I'd rather not hear another lecture about how he was just asking for it."

Kenshin gave him a concerned look.

 _Not good._ He thought.  _I don't think he wants to listen to anything I have to say._

Kenshin sighed and sat down on the opposite edge of the bed, his back facing Harry's. "What I'm trying to say is that everyone makes mistakes." He said. "Logic isn't foolproof, especially when love gets in the way." He paused, shifted slightly, then said in a soft voice, "I was married, once."

"What?" Harry looked at Kenshin, who did not move. He was slightly puzzled at the abrupt and seemingly random change in topic, but the statement had fulfilled its intention- he was distracted from his own thoughts for a moment. "You were  _married?_ "

"Yes. A few years ago. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me- to find someone who loved me despite who I was, someone who could enfold one of my bloodstained hands within her own and make me feel human again. Our happiness could not last, however. One day she vanished. She was labeled as a traitor, and I was ordered to follow her and kill her once she was found."

The black cloud came swirling back in a rush, filling the room with heavy, dead air.

"…Why?"

Kenshin shook his head. "It's complicated, but the man who gave me those orders was the actual traitor. Maybe I could have tried to verify what he said, but I was too intent on her. I followed her. I don't think I know what I planned to do exactly. I know I didn't want to kill her. But I did want to know what was happening. As I traced her footsteps up the mountain, I ended up walking right into a trap. A group of ninjas attacked me, using set bombs to impair my senses and using any means necessary to wear me down. As I faced my last opponent, I was only half-conscious, and when I dealt the finishing blow, too late I saw that my wife had jumped in front of my opponent to protect me. With that strike, they both died."

Silence reigned for a moment. Harry was good and depressed again now.

"I would never call Sirius a fool, Harry." Kenshin said. "Dumbledore may look on Sirius' actions as the rashness of youth, but then, he is old and wise. I am neither, and I say that he did just what I would have done. There were few people who were as close to him as you were, Harry. You both were driven by the terrible fear…of losing something that you didn't even realize was so valuable. Love is what made you fall into that trap, yet, in the end, it is what saved you."

"…I know. Dumbledore told me. Voldemort couldn't possess me even though I wasn't able to keep him out with Occlumency."

Kenshin turned to smile at Harry. He seemed happy all of a sudden.

"That's how it was for me, too." He said. "Love saved me as completely as it had brought me loss. The dead don't seek revenge, only the happiness of those left alive. I am certain of that now, after all these years."

Harry stood up and started piling things into his trunk.

"Did Dumbledore tell you everything?" he said conversationally.

"No." Kenshin said with a solemn shake of his head. "Even if he would have, it's not my place to become too involved with what's going on here. I'm going home soon." He added offhandedly.

Harry paused in his work to look up. "What? Why? I thought you were still helping out with the Order."

"I am to escort you and your friends to the train station, just as I rode with you on the train  _to_ here." Kenshin said. "But that will be my last duty. I am pleased that I was able to disappear so thoroughly, but now I think I am ready to go back and help rebuild. I've found the strength that it will take to do so." He stood and gave a brief bow. "Excuse me. I'm to sit with the staff at the feast." He then turned and left the dorm, leaving Harry alone with his swirling emotions.

Harry sighed and knelt to clamp his trunk shut. He sat for a moment with his hands resting on the top, eyes boring a hole through its surface.

_"The man who gave me those orders was the actual traitor. Maybe I could have tried to verify what he said, but…"_

Harry's hands clenched into fists, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. He now knew the answer to the question he'd asked himself what felt like an eternity ago.

The only thing worse than seeing someone being killed in front of you…was being the one responsible for it.

* * *

"Kenshin!"

Kenshin turned his head to see Hermione, Ron, and Neville standing at the door of his compartment.

"How come you're sitting here all alone?" Ron said.

"Well…" Kenshin wanted to say that he felt like it would be best for their little bunch to all be together before their summer started, that he was not a part of their group, but he didn't get the chance. People came piling in, and before he knew it, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood were all squished in there with him.

"Surprise!" Ginny said, holding out a box to Kenshin. "Since you're leaving, we got together some going-away gifts! We even checked on what was okay for you to take back with you."

Kenshin's look of surprise was priceless as he took the box. "A-arigatou."

"Uh oh." Ron said with a grin. "I think we surprised him into forgetting English again."

Kenshin tried again. "Thank you. Everyone. Sessha is grateful, demo-"

"Quit babbling and open the box." Ginny said. "Before you lose it altogether."

Kenshin nodded mutely and opened the box. It contained a drawstring bag for traveling as well as a light blanket, neatly folded. He sat staring at his gift for a moment, completely unaware of what to do or say.

"Here." Ron said. "We all bought you these too." He dropped a white paper bag into Kenshin's lap.

"It's candy." Neville said. "We couldn't put in any Chocolate Frogs- sorry, I know how much you like them but since they move, it wasn't allowed. We had to take everything out of the wrappers, and you have to promise to keep them to yourself."

Kenshin's face went from astonished to beaming in a second. "Of course!"

"Wasn't there another one too?" Harry said.

"I think Hermione has something." Luna said calmly.

Hermione's face flushed as everyone turned to stare at her.

"Well... she said, pulling a lumpy parcel out from behind her. "I made something…I'm not really good with needlework, but Dobby helped, he got the pattern and everything, since the house-elves got your clothes for you…it's a gi."

Kenshin cautiously took the squishy parcel in his hands.

"Open it, Hermione's dying to know if she got it right." Harry said, and indeed, Hermione had the very same look she always got whenever they received their work back in class.

Kenshin smiled. "The consideration is worth a lot in itself. Thank you, Hermione." He tore the paper and pulled the gi out, holding it up. It was stitched tightly and accurately, with obvious care. The lines were precise, and it was made for just his size. Still…

"Kenshin?" Hermione said. "What is it?"

"Oro…. _pink?_ "


End file.
